The Texas Rangers have lost one of their top veteran pitchers.
Left-hander Cole Hamels has been placed on the 10-day DL, the team announced, and Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says the veteran southpaw is expected to miss about eight weeks with an oblique issue. The team has not announced a timetable for Hamels' return.
The Rangers have placed Cole Hamels on the 10-day DL with a right oblique strain. He's expected to miss about eight weeks.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) May 3, 2017
Hamels, 33, was scratched from his scheduled start earlier this week after feeling pain in his oblique while warming up in the bullpen. He returned to Texas for tests Wednesday, which is when the strain was discovered.
The Rangers come into Wednesday with an 11-17 record, tied for last place in the AL West. They dropped the first two games of their series with the Astros -- and six of their last eight games overall -- to fall seven games back of Houston for the division lead. Here is how the Hamels injury impacts the Rangers' postseason odds, according to SportsLine:
| Wins | Win % | Division Odds | Postseason Odds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Before injury | 77.4 | 47.8% | 2.0% | 10.2% |
With Hamels out eight weeks | 76.5 | 47.2% | 1.5% | 7.9% |
Change | -0.9 | -0.6% | -0.5% | -2.3% |
If Texas continues to fall out of the race, all eyes will shift to Yu Darvish, an impending free agent the Rangers could put on the trade market. Pretty much every contender would have interest in him. For now, my guess is the Rangers will hang on to Darvish and try to get back in the race since the season is still young.
Hamels is 2-0 with a 3.03 ERA (140 ERA+) in five starts and 32 2/3 innings this year, though his career low 4.1 K/9 suggests something isn't quite right.
